HARDY EXOTIC FLOWERING PLANTS. 139 



of the snow in N. Anu-rica, ami arc tlicre as welcnnic as the liawtlinrn 

 with lis. In its native, countrv it inhabits woods, mostly in the shade 

 of pines ; and usually, wherever I saw it, it seemed to form a carpet 

 under three or four layers of vegetation, so to speak — that is to say, 

 it was beneath pines, medium-sized trees, tall Lushes, and dwarf scrub 

 about 18 in. lii,uh, while the plant itself was nut more than one or 

 two inches high. In dur gardens this plant is very rarely seen, ami 

 even in the great American jdant nurseries, where it used to grow it 

 has disappeared. This is no wonder, when it is considered how very 

 different are the conditions which it enjoys in gardens compared with 

 those which I have above described. Without doubt it can be natu- 

 ralised easily in pine woods on a .sandj' soil. 



Dog's-tooth Violet, Enjthronmm. — A few days ago I sa^v a 

 number of irregular clumps of these here and there on a gently slop- 

 ing bank of turf, and, in front of clumps of evergreens, they looked 

 tj^uite charming, and their dark spotted leaves showed up to much 

 better effect on the fresh trreen Grass than thev do in borders. They 

 were all of the red \ariety, and required a few of the white form 

 among them to make the picture perfect. 



So writes a correspondent in Ireland. This beautiful plant, some 

 years ago rarely seen in our gardens, adorns many a dreary slope in the 

 Southern Alps, and there should be no great difficulty in the way 

 of adding its charms to the wild garden in peaty or sandy spots, 

 rather l)are or under decidu(tus vegetation. 



The Winter Aconite, Erantliishyemalis. — Classed among British 

 plants but really naturalised. Its golden buttons peeping through the 

 moss and grass in snowdrop time form one of the prettiest aspects of 

 our garden vegetation in spring. It will grow anywhere, and is one 

 of the plants that thrive under the spreading branches of summer- 

 leafing trees, as it lilo(.)ms and perfects its leaves before the buds open 

 nn the beech. On many lawns, spring gardens might be formed by 

 planting some spring flowering plants that finish their growth 

 before the trees are in leaf. Another advantage of such positions 

 is, that the foliage of the tree prevents any coarser plants taking 

 possession of the ground, ami therefore these little spring plants 

 have the ground to themselves, and wander into natural little groups 

 in the moss and grass, sometimes covering the surface with a sheet of 

 blossoms. 



Punkia. — ^I have spoken of the conditions in the wild garden 

 being more suitable to many plants than those which obtain in what 



